The Four Lost Kingdoms
by GoddessOfOlympia
Summary: Jack West visits South America with Zoe before returning home to find an email from Wizard - Jack's closest friend who died over six months ago. Wizard details the discovery of four lost kingdoms, cities that were supposedly built by the same super-civilisation that built the machine. Jack has to assemble his battered team and discover what this means for the rest of the world.
1. Chapter 1

**JACK WEST JR**

**THE FOUR LOST KINGDOMS**

* * *

**Author's Note:**

I'll _try_ and keep this note short but no promises. This was written for the** Presidian Reunion Group Christmas Challenge.** The prompt for the challenge was below 10,000 words and had to include a mention of Christmas. This is basically a continuation of Matthew Reilly's JWJ series, following the events from the last books. I attempted to write a story for this challenge about four different times and this plot idea (what plot, I know xD) didn't come to me until close to the deadline, so this is all I've been able to get out in time with an ending point that makes me happy. If people like it, I can try to attempt to continue this but essentially, due to the time constraints, read this as a chapter in Matthew Reilly's next Jack West book, setting up for the rest of the story.

**Disclaimer:** The characters in this story do not belong to me; they belong to the fabulous Matthew Reilly. I hope you all enjoy it =]

* * *

Once again, Jack West Jr was running for his life. The tunnels he was in were low, hot and narrow. He was crouched down slightly, making speed very difficult to attain. Gunshots and foreign voices yelling echoed off behind him and he winced. Ahead of him, a fit blonde woman ran just as fast as him, clearly intent on preserving her life as well.

_Crack_.

"Fuck," Jack muttered as a piece of the tunnel collapsed inwards and he had to spin his body mid-run to avoid being crushed by it. As it was, he scraped his hip, leaving a bloody mess. This was no ordinary tunnel; the sides were coated in a surface not dissimilar to oyster edges. It appeared the Ancient Mayans had been as creative with their booby traps as the Egyptians had been. He immediately found he couldn't put as much weight on it but the adrenalin coursing through his veins stopped the wound from hindering him too much.

"You alright Zo?" he called ahead, hoping at least the slip would slow their pursuers.

"Never been better! But how long do you expect me to keep this up for?" Zoe Kissane's Irish accent was out of breath and warped in the small space. Jack tried to glance down at the small GPS that was attached to his belt but he was running too fast to keep it steady. He felt a burn begin in his legs, lactic acid building. Zoe and Jack had been keeping up this intense pace for the last half an hour.

"It's a bit difficult to say right now," Jack huffed in reply. Not only was Zoe part of the original Capstone and Vertex teams that had saved the world from destruction twice to date, she was also his wife and the equivalent of a mother to his adopted daughter.

"Why the hell do I let you get me into these messes?" Zoe called back before letting off a bit of a laugh as they powered on. They emerged into a large cavernous room. At the base of the room lay a mammoth pit with vertical wooden spikes littering the bottom. Light seeped through the entrance at the top of a steep slope. The idea was that when someone entered the room down the slope, they would be unable to stop and fall to their deaths. Jack glanced just inside the archway, looking for some sort of lever that would release the stone slab that served for the door.

Laser blue eyes scanned the stone efficiently before sliding his hand into a small niche in the rock. Some would hesitate before putting their limbs into unknown – and more than likely dangerous – spaces but Jack West had a supreme advantage – he possessed a metal prosthesis for a left arm made from titanium alloy. His mechanical fingers found a small knob inside the hollow and tugged it.

_Clang!_

A metal blade had clearly swung down to sever his hand from his arm, but it simply met the metal as the slab slowly lowered, gears whirring deep within the ancient mechanisms. It slotted into a groove in the floor with a resounding thud.

Jack glanced over at Zoe who had doubled over slightly to allow more air to flow into her lungs. On the other side of the stone, insistent and heavy gunfire could be heard but Jack knew that they had five minutes at the very least. Jack knew they were almost out of the temple without even having to consult his GPS. He ran his fingers through his short, spiky black hair, shaking sweat from his fingers. He set it back on his head and looked over at Zoe. She just grinned back at him with sparkling blue eyes, despite her obvious fatigue. She was just as drenched in sweat as he was. He jerked his head to the slope before locking his hand with hers and limping to the exit, ignoring the sounds of gunfire.

* * *

"_How in Allah's name do you two manage to go for a simple holiday and end up being chased by cultists in an ancient temple?!"_ Pooh Bear's booming voice spoke the question all of Jack's team – his family – wanted to know.

They were on a video call with four split screens; Pooh Bear, the bushy bearded Arab with one eye covered by a glittering patch; Stretch, the tall thin Israeli who had done little but smile since the call started and Julius and Lachlan, the red-haired Scottish twins who yawned erratically throughout the conversation due to time zones. Sky Monster had already been filled in on what Jack was about to share and decided that his time would be better used in the hangar, working on his beloved plane. Lily West was perched beside Jack on the armchair of the couch and Zoe was spread out beside him, her slender legs resting over his thighs.

In reply to Pooh Bear's question, Jack gave an enigmatic smile. He honestly didn't know. Unlike his previous escapades, the Capstone and the Vertex missions, he hadn't intended to get in trouble and be running for his life on this occasion. Still, adventure seemed to be ingrained in Jack and would follow him anywhere.

"We don't do it for fun, Pooh," Jack said with a slight chuckle. "I've had enough adrenalin to last me a lifetime."

"I haven't," Lily chimed, swinging her legs. Jack rolled his eyes at his daughter and glanced at Zoe, who gave him a small smirk. Lily West. Mature beyond her years from a young age but now her appearance had caught up and fuck, was Jack worried. With her long black hair and wide almond eyes set in an exotic face, Lily was gorgeous and had attracted more attention than Jack would like to admit when he'd been in the city to pick her up from Alby's. His intelligent and loyal daughter had morphed into a precocious and opinionated teenage. Jack didn't overly oppose either of these traits but it had taken a while to adjust.

Christmas had only been last month. It was a quiet affair, with only Jack's live-in family for company. After that, Sky Monster had flown over to Australia's neighbour, New Zealand to see his parents and co-incidentally, Lily's brother who lived with them before kindly offering to chauffeur Jack and Zoe to their destination. Lily herself had been more than happy to spend a while with her best friend Alby Calvin. So Jack and Zoe had embarked to South America to have some semblance of a honeymoon, despite their marriage occurring over six months ago. However, they had fallen into a spot of trouble while exploring an ancient temple that also happened to be one of the rumoured entrances to Xiabalba, the Ancient Mayan underworld. Cultists who followed the rituals and sacrifices had chased Jack and Zoe deep into the temple, where Jack had found himself in a familiar booby-trapped world. Obviously, they'd managed to get out and drive away on the motorbikes they'd hired but promptly left the country that afternoon, courtesy of the _Sky Warrior_.

"_Well, Lils, I'm sure Jack can remedy that situation."_ Lachlan looked rather smug as he winked and Jack had to supress a groan. He didn't want Lily encouraged! Sometimes he swore the two maths graduates who were well into their twenties had the same mental age as someone ten years younger.

"There will be no remedying of the situation! Lily is going back to school soon. I just thought I'd all let you know Zoe and I got home safely, albeit a few minor bumps and bruises." Abruptly, Lily stood, her own eyes rolling back into her skull.

"Don't talk about me like I'm not here, Dad."

_Dad._ Not 'Daddy'. Dad. The loss of the second syllable hung emptily in the room for a moment as Lily sashayed off and Jack sighed. He knew that she was fourteen and there came a time when even girls as emotionally and intellectually mature as Lily stopped calling her father "daddy" and started acting like a teenager. The group on the screen looked bemused at Lily's actions before they re-focused their attention on Jack.

"_Jack,"_ Stretch said quietly, his voice distorted by the microphone and speakers. _"Was there a reason for this… meeting,"_ he said, flicking over the word lightly, _"other than to inform us of your escapades?" _Even after Stretch had formed a tight bond with their group, he had always possessed a dry, cynical way of speaking. Jack returned his thoughts to the matter at hand. His face grew more serious before he spoke.

"Two days ago, I received an email from Wizard."

Their reactions were much the same as Jack's.

"_What?!"_

"_Jack, don't joke about this…"_

"_Jack, Wizard's gone. How could you have been emailed by him?"_

Zoe leaned forward. "We were thinking some sort of timer or charge on the net… Wizard was good with technology, we all know that and this is entirely possible. And he was careful, he needed to safeguard in case something happened to him. But the thing is, it's probably relevant to now, or upcoming dates. It was sent for a reason."

Julius rubbed the back of his neck. _"So what was in this email?"_

"A lot of what you'd expect from Wizard. Random scrawling's and numbers no one can understand but him. Also a page covered in Thoth. I've given it to Lily but most of it's still too advanced."

Jack clicked some buttons as he spoke, forwarding the attachments as a group email. He heard the 'ping' sound on the other's monitors and the Adamson twins immediately focus more intently on their computer screens, instantly wanting to decipher their mentor's notes. "But sadly, we don't have Wizard here with us to tell us anymore," Jack added on a softer note.

"_What are the Lost Kingdoms?"_ Pooh Bear asked.

"Well, that's exactly what I think Wizard intended us to find out," Zoe replied. Jack watched as action unfolded among the three screens. Pooh Bear leant forwards, obviously reading over the page and not finding much sense in it. Stretch was doing the same but less subtly than his Arabic friend. Lachlan had since diverted his attention from the attachment and pulled a tablet into his lap, tapping it quickly and barely looking up as Julius began his own work – equations or searches, Jack presumed – on the laptop, his ginger hair and freckled face growing precariously close to the camera.

"_Surely you have theories though, Huntsman."_

"Well, my first thought, based off Wizard's notes and the email… We believe an ancient super-civilisation built the Vertexes, right? What prevented them for building entire cities while they were here, before they were killed?"

This was the civilisation that had supposedly built the machine, after all. "And what if these cities were so huge and so vast," and here Jack leant closer to the camera himself, "that they were called kingdoms."

Pooh Bear nodded his agreement. _"That does make some sense. But why did Wizard only mention them now?"_

"You know their penchant for dates," Jack said wryly. "We'll be against the clock again I'm sure. This time, to figure out what exactly it is we have to do before we go against the clock again. Something I'm sure we're all used to." A slight electronic chuckle ran through the group.

"_This would be easier in person,"_ said Stretch and Jack and Zoe nodded wholeheartedly. When he'd first received the email, he'd discussed with her exactly what they should do.

"You're quite right, Stretch." Over the years, Jack's team had met in various places around the globe; their farmhouse in Kenya; the Burj-al-Arab tower; a safe house in County Kerry. Of course, at each location, something had occurred at all bar one; Little MacDonald Island, also known as World's End. It was remote and difficult but it would provide a place for Jack's crew to meet.

"If you could all meet me at World's End by the third…" Jack met the eyes of four of the people he trusted most in the world and could instantly see that they would be here. "We'll talk more then." That was Jack's last parting words before they said their goodbyes and the screen disconnected.

* * *

Jack turned to Zoe.

"This must have been important to Wizard."

"Yes."

"It must be important enough that the ends will outweigh the risks."

Zoe hesitated before replying. "Yes."

Jack's shoulders relaxed; he could trust Zoe to be honest and her reply calmed her more than anything. They both knew Wizard would never put anyone's life in danger if he could avoid it. So this must be important, as important as the Capstone mission and as the Vertex mission. But they had come with costs and Jack couldn't help but wonder what the price was going to be this time? First there had been Noddy; it seemed like so long ago that the Spanish soldier who had watched Lily grow up had been killed. After that was one of their biggest heartaches, a double blow to the small alliance of minnows: Zoe's little brother Big Ears and Wizard's wife Doris had both been brutally murdered. After that, Fuzzy, Solomon, and then Wizard, on top of countless other friends.

The names kept tallying up and Jack feared that soon, there would be no one left. Who would be next? Zoe? Lily? Jack knew he wouldn't be able to stand it if he lost either of them – if he lost any of the members of his team that he considered his family.

"We can't do this alone. Not like this. We're broken and battered and we need… more." Zoe, as always, understood exactly what he meant. It was one of the many reasons why Jack loved her. Excellent soldiers that they were, they all bore their own scars from times past. Sure, there were a few friends Jack could call on – his brother in law, J.J. Whickam, who was currently out of range or he would have been included in the video call.

There was potentially Astro, the American Marine who had been assigned to them during the Vertex case. Jack had never been certain what had happened with him but he had certainly looked confused after the events had unravelled and Jack trusted his gut instinct on the young soldier. But they were the only two Jack could think of up off the top of his head and he'd learnt long ago that there were some issues that were better when you didn't go into depth.

The thing was, Jack was in far too deep to trust anyone knew. They'd been fucked over too many times by people pretending to be their allies. All they had to rely on was each other.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: I'm really happy with how this chapter progressed; the storyline is progressing at a suitable rate for me to actually finish this story within the Presidian word limit. I had a little trouble writing dialogue between the characters, Matthew Reilly seems to do it so flawlessly and I just can't imitate that, so sorry if it's noticeable. Cheers to a Tumblr user for letting me use their headcanon - Julian and Lachlan are Nerdfighters and slowly getting Lily and Alby in on it (don't worry, Alby will be here soon). Anyway, hope you like!**

* * *

"How do I become a Nerdfighter?" Lily demanded loudly, causing Jack to look across to see what they were talking about.

Julian leant back, grinning. "First you have to read the books he wrote – which, mind you are utterly devastating – and then you follow their YouTube blog online."

"What was his name again?"

"John Green."

"The fault in our stars was a quote originally from Shakespeare, wasn't it? Julius Caesar?"

Jack turned back to the information he was looking at. They had been at Little MacDonald Island for a day now and everyone had relaxed into their normal routines. But Jack had no idea where to go next – no more emails from Wizard, no more hidden clues. He had taken to looking at the scrolls from the library at Alexandria for some form of information.

has been with him when they'd removed them, which made more painful memories for Jack. This entire operation just hung with the man who had been his father, his mentor, his friend for so many years and was lost so fast.

Wizard has been the only great scholar in the group. Although Jack and Zoe had both studied at Trinity and were probably the next closest to him, they were both soldiers first, as much as Jack didn't like to admit it. He could study charts with Julian and Lachlan all he wanted, and read every scroll he could find, but without Wizard, Jack felt lost.

A shadow fell over his work and he glanced across to see Pooh Bear, looking grave.

"It'll all fall into place soon, Huntsman," he said, clapping Jack on the shoulder hard enough to make him jerk forward. "You'll see."

Pooh Bear took a seat opposite him as Jack spoke. "I just don't know, Pooh… Look at us. We're utterly broken and deplenished. We aren't supposed to be doing this."

"Jack, everyone in this room – and I'm sure that Wizard would agree me – knows that you are the best person to save to world, to decipher this sort of stuff." A slight furrow appeared in the Arab's brow. It was rare that Pooh Bear was so serious. "You're the _only_ person to be able to do this. And that's a lot to put on one person's shoulder. And yes, we have been battered around. But we cannot let that stop us!"

Before Jack could reply, his phone rang. He glanced at it, surprised. Wizard had given it to him many years ago. It could get a signal most places in the world and most people who had its number were in this very room.

"Hello?" he asked cautiously as he lifted it to his ear.

_"Is this Jack West Jr?"_ The speaker was female and American, but with a soft lilting accent. Jack glanced across the room at Zoe, before signalling for Julian and Lachlan to attempt to track the call.

"It is. Who am I speaking with?"

_"I am Katie Lynton. I teach mythology at Harvard in America. Today, a parcel was delivered to me from Max Epper. Do you know him? I studied under him at Trinity."_

Jack exhaled, feeling sorry to inform this soft-spoken woman of Wizard's fate. "I'm sorry to say Max passed away last year. He was very close to me," Jack said, unable to find a word to encompass his relationship with Wizard.

There was a slight hitch on the other end of the phone. _"Oh. I'm very sorry to hear that… Max was a brilliant teacher and so kind and helpful, to help me get this job."_ There was a brief pause. _"The parcel had an envelope and it said to call your number but not to open the package. I recognized Max's handwriting, even after all these years. Anyway, you're supposed to come and collect it."_

"How long has it been since you've talked to Max?" Jack was trying to fit this girl into his time-frame of studying at Trinity and then the ten years of waiting for Lily to grow up.

_"It'd have to be about… 16 years now._" So this girl had been one of Wizard's last students, and that would probably make her around 27.

"Miss Lynton—"

_"Please, call me Katie,_" she said warmly._ "I'm just glad to meet some people that also knew Max, even if it's under slightly suspicious circumstances."_

"Katie, we're going to need to meet you," Jack said slowly. "If that's alright. We need to collect the parcel and we may have use for your skills as well." She was a mythologist, clearly that meant something.

There was a ding across the room and Lachlan spun a laptop to show Jack a screen with a map. He quickly scanned it, locating a pulsating red dot smack bang in the middle of Harvard University.

_"That would be quite alright, Jack,_" Katie replied. She gave him her details and Jack assured her they'd be there soon before hanging up.

He turned to the group, who had gathered around, looking at him expectantly. He noticed Lily wasn't currently in the room.

"We're off to Massachusetts. Sky Monster, get the Warrior ready; everyone else, pack everything up. It won't be a hostile environment but we can never be too careful," Jack told the group. Movement began in the main room of their building on Little McDonald.

"Where are we going?" Jack turned to see Lily standing in front of him, hands on her hips.

"To Harvard University. There's a friend of Wizard's we need to talk to."

Lily looked sceptical. "We have to fly to the U.S. just to _talk _to a friend of Wizard's?"

"There's more to it. She's received a parcel for us to collect. I think it's related to Wizard's email."

"Who is she?" Lily asked, her tone a touch softer.

"One of Wizard's ex-students, from Trinity. One of the last ones he ever taught, I suspect."

"Can we trust her?" One of Jack's favourite things about his daughter was her strong moral compass and her absolutely loyalty to anyone who earned her trust.

"Well, so far we don't know her but she did the right thing by following Wizard's requests. That puts her in our good books so far," Jack told Lily, reaching out to ruffle her hair. She endured it for a moment before pulling away.

"Dad," she said seriously, and with much less attitude than she'd approached the topic previously. "I'm not a little girl anymore. I'm fourteen, I'm part of this team and I could be valuable if you'd let me be. I know you want to protect me – you want to protect everyone. But please let me take part, properly."

Her tone was pleading by the end and Jack was struck by how intuitive she was to other's emotions. She was only a head shorter than him now at fourteen. It seemed like yesterday since they'd been turning over hay bales to find a giggling child. Back when everything was simple. Back when he hadn't saved the world twice.

He considered her words; she was right, she could help to expand their very small team. She knew how to shoot, she was physically fit and she was intelligent. Her bright brown eyes shone up at him, willing him to let her join in, for real this time, not just guarded as a resource needed for the word of Thoth.

He finally relented and nodded. She squealed and threw her arms around him. Jack grinned as he hugged her back, hoping to hell he'd made the right choice, as she gracefully walked off to help pack.

* * *

It was a smooth enough flight but the tension on the _Warrior_ was almost palpable. Julian and Lachlan seemed to be intent on researching Miss Katie Lynton, despite being just hours away from meeting her in the flesh. Lily set up a Skype call with Alby, promising that he'd be able to join them soon, which made Jack roll his eyes and Zoe smile. Stretch set about meticulously cleaning his rifle and Pooh Bear seemed to be becoming increasingly frustrated with a puzzle of some sort.

When they touched down on the various grassy areas that surrounded the regal university – something Jack didn't know was entirely legal – they all moved out as quickly as possible. The black plane and their odd military get up garnered some odd stares from the students on the campus.

Sky Monster remained behind to stay with his plane, and Stretch and Pooh opted to stay with him. Stretch wasn't really a people person and while Pooh had been a part of a team with Wizard for ten years, both the Cowboys and Jack and Zoe had studied under Wizard, and therefore all had a closer connection to Katie. Lily and Zoe flanked Jack on either side. Julius and Lachlan ambled on behind them.

Jack surreptitiously glanced down at the GPS he'd had the Adamson twins programme with Katie's office before they left the plane. It might sound stupid, but Harvard was huge and had many departments. Shy of going to reception and asking for her, this was the quickest way to find her.

He turned down a corridor and saw a middle aged man talking to a younger female. Jack glanced at Zoe and tilted his head, nodding for them to return a different way, as not to disturb the man, who he assumed was a professor. Before they rounded the corner they'd just come from, the man glanced down the corridor.

"Can I help you?" he asked, his accent distinctly American as he walked towards Jack and his group, leaving the female to shift uncertainly on her own. The sound of his voice reminded Jack of his father's, call-sign: Wolf. He had died last year at the fourth pillar, luckily but he still haunted Jack's dreams.

"Uh, no, we were just on our way to meet someone," Jack said as he backed away. The man raised an eyebrow and Jack took time to survey him. Clearly a scholarly man, with a somewhat arrogant air. Mid-forties, probably lectured something sanctimonious like law.

"If you don't mind me asking, who were you on your way to… meet?" His tone implied that he expected an answer and his eyes flicked critically over Jack and his team. Jack crossed his arms easily, standing his ground, not in the least bit intimidated.

"Professor Lynton."

The man's lip curled before his face relaxed. "Ah. Well, allow me to show you to her office. I am Professor Stephen Hyde. I teach law here." A small smile rose on Jack's face as they followed the elderly man down the hall. They passed the bewildered girl he'd been talking to. Jack glanced down at his GPS, to make sure Hyde wasn't leading them the wrong way.

Thankfully, his only intention seemed to make sure that Jack didn't go anywhere they weren't supposed to, as he deposited them outside a door just as their path aligned neatly with the red blinking dot. Jack glanced up from the screen to find Hyde looking at him with a curious expression on his face as he slid the device into his pocket.

"Thank you for showing us here, Professor," Jack said courteously, extending his metal arm. The man looked slightly horrified at having to shake a prosthetic limb but did so anyway.

"You're welcome, Mr…"

"West. Captain West," Jack said pointedly.

"You're welcome… Captain West. I hope Miss Lynton can accommodate your needs and you and your roleplaying group have a pleasant time here at Harvard." The words came through thin lips before he swept off. Jack turned to Zoe, mystified.

"Roleplaying group?" He asked as Lily and the Cowboys burst into simultaneous laughter.

"It's when people dress up as characters from books or movies and pretend to be them," Lachlan managed to say in between chortles. Jack still looked mystified as he knocked on the wooden door. Light footsteps could be heard inside before it swung open.

A woman stepped forward and Jack studied her face, curious to put a face to the name of Katie Lynton. She was of average height and curvy; definitely not fat but not lithe, as though she'd been running miles every day. She had a young face and intelligent clear green eyes. If he saw in her in the street, he wouldn't have pegged her down for being a mythology buff. She initially looked surprised at their arrival before taking in their uniform and nodding.

"Jack West, I assume?" she asked in the same soft tone that now seemed to match her appearance. She extended her hand and he shook it, using his real hand this time.

"Yes. This is my wife, Zoe Kissane and my daughter Lily," Jack said, indicating them. "As well as my close friends Lachlan and Julian, who also knew Wizard when he was alive."

Katie inclined her head slightly, stepping back to welcome them into her office. "Thank you for coming here to me. I have the package here for you. How did you meet Max?" she asked the two boys as they entered the room.

"We studied maths at Trinity just before he stopped teaching," Julian offered and she tilted her head.

"What year?" She enquired, clearly going through the same process as Jack had on the plane. When Julian replied, she laughed slightly. "You only missed me by a year, then." By the time she had finished talking, she was standing beside a desk, her hand resting on a box.

Jack watched as Lily walked forward, confidently. "May I?" she asked. Katie once again looked surprised at this well-spoken and intelligent young woman approaching her instead of Jack but immediately handed over the package. Lily peeled off the brown paper covering it to reveal a wooden box inside, carved with intricate detail. She brought it closer to her eyes and nodded.

"It's more Thoth that I can't read yet," she said, her tone slightly bitter, as though her inability to read a language only she and her brother had been born with and progressed randomly with age was her fault. There were two niches on either side of the box and she pressed her fingers into them before Jack could stop her.

She cried out and recoiled from the box immediately. It would have smashed onto the floor if Zoe hadn't darted forward and caught it with athletic ease. On each of the fingers that had pressed into the holes, there was a prick of blood.

"Be careful, Lily." Jack stepped forward to watch as Zoe approached the box with more caution. Lily glowered at him. Jack had only just given her trust to do more things on her own and here she was, already fumbling and diving in.

Katie stood off to the side, fascinated by the proceedings.

"Zoe," Lachlan said, gesturing towards the box. "It's slightly asymmetrical. I imagine it'll line up if you manage to balance it." He glanced at Katie, pointing to the paper on her desk. "May I?" She nodded her ascent.

Lachlan quickly reconstructed the box, with the niches and how it was leaning slightly. Beside it, he wrote several calculations as Julian made positive noises as he read over his shoulder. After a while, they didn't even need to speak aloud to each other, they managed to communicate in short-hand and their eyes.

"Okay, Zo," Lachlan said confidently after about two minutes of this. "This is going to require extreme athleticism and grace, which everyone knows you possess."

Zoe snorted. "Enough with the flattery, boys. What do you need me to do?"

"Lift it to about chest height and hold it out from you, your arms straight." Zoe did as he asked, holding the box lightly enough. "Now, you have to tilt it to the minutest angle. A weight should shift across, rendering it balanced and it should open." Zoe began to tilt the box and Lachlan shook his head.

"Too fast. Move slowly. It's delicate." She tilted the box more slowly, moving it inch by inch. After about a minute of doing this, a bead of sweat formed on her forehead from the strain of holding the box out from her.

"I'm not sure how much longer I can hold this, boys," she warned as the second minute passed. Just as Zoe looked ready to drop it, they all heard a faint 'click' and the box vibrated in her hands. She placed it on Katie's wooden desk and stepped back, massaging her arms.

They all watched as slowly, the box began to click out on itself, a lot like Pooh Bear's puzzle on the plane. It slotted in together, Jack realised, and now it was shifting to show them something. But what? They couldn't know the answer until it finished but when it did, Jack was so shocked, his mouth was open.

The wooden box had turned into a magnificent piece of art, much larger than it ever looked like it could morph into. It had built a tall temple, arched by a wooden bridge. Jack peered closer to see that the grooves that had formed the word of Thoth when the box was whole now looked like brickwork and vines. To anyone that had studied mythology, the scene was obvious.

"What is it?" Zoe asked after a moment.

Jack shook his head. "Not what. _Where._"

"This is a lost Kingdom." Jack's head jerked up at Katie Lynton's words. She couldn't have known… "Shangri-La."


End file.
